Draco just shrugged his shoulders and heaved a
cold laugh. No, she wouldn’t give up. Mustering all her strength and courage,
she kicked the other guard on the shin and elbowed the other hard on the
stomach. They loosened the grip. Hermione pushed them and started to run. Draco,
being trained into this kind of chase-me-act, was faster. Scant seconds later he
was already behind Hermione.
"Petrificus Totalus." He muttered in ragged
breathing.
To Hermione's horror, her hands snapped to her
sides, and she felt her whole body become rigid and stiff. For a few seconds,
her body swayed side by sides and fell down with a loud thud. Draco, still
catching his breath glared at her and smiled sneeringly.
"Nice try. But you have to do better than that."
He hissed grimly and with a flick of a wand, a magical stretcher suddenly
appeared. All Hermione could do is glare and silently curse Malfoy while the
guards lifted her to the stretcher and strode off Serpent Alley as if nothing
happened.
***
“Bloody hell.” Ron greeted everyone and settled
himself on the couch by the fire. “Everytime I do a bit of investigating,
problems are making its own way of screwing everything up. I nearly got myself
killed.” He muttered bleakly.
Harry
glanced at his watch looking anxious. Hermione’s still out wandering in Serpent
Alley.
“Wouldn’t
you even asked what happened in that filthy, evil, foulest…” Ron continued with
his lecture until Harry blurted out.
“Ron!”
he exclaimed. “Hermione’s still in Serpent Alley!”
Ron
shrugged, grabbed a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (still his favorite
snack after all those years) and stuffed some on his mouth.
“So?”
he frowned at him questioningly while chewing. “She’d done that a couple of
times and nothing happened to her … bleargh!” he exclaimed, spitting out a
suspicious-looking green tattered bean. “Yeuch. Have you tasted anything as
awful as that? Troll booger!” his face contorted into a disgusted
expression.
Harry
glared at him. How could he think of troll boogers and beans when Hermione is in
danger?
Ron,
sensing Harry’s seriousness, started to listen. “Harry, don’t worry about her.
Nothing bad will happen!” he said.
“I
don’t know.” Harry stood up and leaned on the wall. “I can hear voices in my
head saying she’s in danger and I could feel something dreadful is going to
happen.”
Ron
walked over to him and patted his back. “You just need some rest Harry. You’re
overworking yourself too much you started to sound like Trelawney.” Ron joked,
reminding him of their Divination professor who got a knack of predicting false
deaths of the students. This made Harry smile a little.
Maybe I am just getting a bit paranoid. Nothing
bad will happen…I hope. Harry thought and joined the other wizards busy
discussing plans leading to the assasination of Voldemort.
***
After a few minutes that somewhat seemed eternity
for Hermione, they finally arrived at what she suspects Malfoy's manor. She felt
a strong pang of terror as they entered the tremendously huge mansion and at the
same time entertaining the thought she'll be thrown into an empty cell to be a
midnight snack for ferocious beasts who knows he's hiding somewhere inside.
Hermione shuddered at the thought and quickly dismissed it.
A magical door swung open as he stood in the
doorway. He waved a hand motioning the guards to follow him. Upon crossing the
threshold, Hermione couldn't afford to suppress a gasp albeit she was under the
body-binding spell. The house was bloody extravagant: well-sculptured snake
statues made from precious stones of every kind bordered every corner. Paintings
flanked the walls and the ceiling was charmed that reminded Hermione of the
bewitched star-stained ceiling in the Great Hall way back in Hogwarts. Curtains
were made from the finest silk and the couches, emerald green and raven black,
looked very comforting and relaxing.
"From the looks of you, I could tell that you
like everything you see in this house." Draco said in conviction and released
her from the body binding spell. Relief had crossed her face but Hermione's
still feeling quite numb after being stock-still due to the spell effects. Draco
smiled nastily as the guards walked out of the house.
He threw himself at the soft couch. "Sit." he
said, sounding much more of a command than an invitation. Hermione raised a brow
at him, folded her arms and remained standing defiantly in a corner.
"I'd rather stand, thank you." she rasped
firmly.
Draco shrugged his shoulders a bit abstractedly
and pouted. "Very well. After all, it's your choice. Remain standing until a
whomping willow ascend from your spine." he drawled and gave a derisive
laugh.
Hermione gave him a sullen look. "After you
finish amusing yourself, would you mind to tell me what's the big idea of
keeping me here?" she demanded.
Draco stood and walked towards her. Hermione eyed
him with contempt as he sniffed her hair teasingly.
"Your hair smells like fresh roses..." he
commented.
Hermione inched away from him but he was faster.
He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tighter towards him. Hermione could
feel his breath skimming her face, making her feel more uneasy.
Draco's lips twisted into a sly grin. "Just as I
thought. I never failed to keep a woman blush tremendously whenever they're
several inches away from me." he said silkily, lifting his hand to touch her now
crimson cheeks.
Regaining composure, she brushed his hand
forcefully and pushed him away.
"Never shall I lose equanimity to a pale,
conceited and overtly arrogant git like you." she said sarcastically, looking at
him with open hostility.
Draco was looking at her intently as if he was
about to swallow her whole. He ignored her sarcastic comments. "Tell me," he
drawled. "Have we met before?" with this, he frowned, a familiar face he knew he
loathed back then was playing on his mind.
Alas, Hermione thought. I knew he could figure it
somehow.
She then gave a dull giggle. "Took ages before
you could've actually noticed, do you?" she said, her tone monotonous. "Remember
that bushy-haired, know-it-all mudblood you'd always love to hate?" she asked, a
sly grin hovering on her lips as she untangled the ribbon and flipped her curly
hair. "Yes. I am Hermione." she added sharply, silently laughing at his
dumbstruck expression.
Draco's mouth fell open. After a few
second-looks, he gave a long, loud laugh.
"The irony of life..." he said, then paused for
breath. "Granger, I always knew you would venture into this once given the
opportunity." He said, and rounded her. "You could've earned loads of money if
you decided to put your beautifying potion out in the market." he hissed,
seizing the ribbon from her grip, shut his eyes in a rather provocative manner
and sniffed the ribbon. "They're gonna sell like pancakes, knowing there are a
lot of vain witches like you." he said silkily, now massaging her shoulders.
Hermione jerked away from him. "How dare you!"
she attempted to slap him but he seized her by the arm.
"Do that and you would regret the consequences."
he said icily, malicious glint beaming at the corner of his eyes.
Startled, she pulled her arm from his tight
grasp. "You're still the same despicable person I used to know, you vile, you
evil..." she growled under her breath, her eyes were in deadly slits.
The room was filled with unbreakable tension,
which is dangerously exceeding the tolerable level. Their eyes were spitting
black fire as they glared at each other, old grudges rekindled and lingering.
Unknowingly, a feeling totally alien to both of them started to brew within,
sparks were on the brink of escaping, but they're not aware of it yet.
"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione..." He whispered
with a tone of seduction in his voice, fumbling his fingers on her soft curly
hair. Hermione frowned at him questioningly. He had never, ever called her by
her first name. Eversince.
She looked at him, her gaze weakening. "Don't you
dare touch me you filth." she almost yelled.
Draco sneered. "You think I should, then maybe, I
would." he drawled and claimed her lips.
Lords, a kiss! her mind screamed as she struggled
to be free from his advances. Hermione tried to push him but Draco didn't shift,
and made the kiss more deeper.
"Get off me you, you bastard!" she screamed
disdainfully when Draco left her lips to gasp for breath.
"Well said Granger." He drawled, his voice oddly
thick. He bent down to claim her lips again, kissed it savagely, snatching away
the sweetness.
She tasted blood. Damn. Her lips were bleeding.
Anger started to boil and it gave her the strength to shove Draco hard on the
chest. He staggered.
"Damn you!" Hermione shouted, wiping away the
blood from her lips with the edge of her robes. She spun around and dashed
towards the door, too late to realize it was magically locked. She needed her
wand. Her hands automatically reached for her pocket. She groaned. Her wand was
taken by Malfoy a while ago.
With quick steps, he darted towards him and
grabbed him by the collar of his robes. "Give me back my wand." She said through
gritted teeth. She was dead serious as if ready to kill.
Draco took her hands away from the collar of his
robes, brushed it as if it was dirty and smirked. Just then, a beautiful, young
maiden with long, jet black hair entered and offered Draco a goblet of wine. He
smiled at the girl that made her blush and made Hermione's eyes roll heavenward.
After serving it, Draco gave her a quick peck on the lips and she left. Hermione
grimaced. It was a sickening sight.
"That's Azura." Draco replied, though she wasn't
asking anything. "What a pretty little thing isn't she?" he added maliciously,
then took a sip from his goblet.
Hermione gave him a sour look. "Oh please. Like I
care." She retorted, dismissing the growing envy she felt when Draco smiled at
that girl named Azura in a charming way.
"I can kiss and smile at you like the way I did
to her... that is, if you only let me, Hermione." He whispered seductively,
passion burning intensely from his gaze.
"As if I would." she hissed shrilly.
Draco mimicked her tone. "As if I would." he
repeated, doing an accurate impression of her facial expression. He reclined on
the soft couch and twirled her wand as if daring her to get it from him.
"How's Potter and Weasel?" he drawled, now
checking his nails.
Hermione raised her chin in a dignified manner.
"Good and well...most likely in good faith I daresay." she said airily.
He sneered. "You're pathetic. Good faith? Ha,
You're mocking me."
"Let's not beat around the bush Malfoy." She
snapped angrily. "Do you intend to keep me here despite your intense hatred
towards me?" she flailed her hands in exasperation.
Draco once again moved to her side, his hands
gently glided to her arms, then down to her waist.
"Since you don't like beating around the bush,
i'll go straight to the point..." he hissed to her ear, ignoring her curses.
"The truth is, I intend to keep you longer than necessary..."
***
Hmm, sorry for the cliffhanger. Anyhow, tell me
what you think. please review.